A Dictionary of the Bible (Oxford Quick Reference) - Softcover

Browning, W. R. F.

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9780198608905: A Dictionary of the Bible (Oxford Quick Reference)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019860890X ISBN 13: 9780198608905

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2004

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This revised edition is the most authoritative, accessible, and up-to-date dictionary of the Bible available in paperback. As well as providing helpful information about important places and personalities, it is particularly concerned to expound the themes and doctrines of the Bible and to indicate their status in the light of modern scholarship. With entries ranging from earthquakes and mice to feminism and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the dictionary is a lively and absorbing reference work for all readers of the Bible.

-Over 2,000 entries from Adam to Zechariah

-Clear explanations of technical terms, methods of interpretation, and critical analysis, as well as notes on leading biblical scholars and their contributions
-Broad coverage includes the books of the Bible, people and places, customs, religions and worship, history, and theology

-Takes into account the work of Christian scholars of all denominations and Jewish scholars

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About the Author:

W. R. F. Browning has been a Canon Residentiary of Blackburn Cathedral and of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. He is now an honorary canon and an honorary priest in west Oxford. He was for thirteen years a lecturer in New Testament Studies at Cuddesdon College, Oxford, and at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. His books include Commentary on St Luke's Gospel (1960; 6th edn 1981), Meet the New Testament (1965), The Anglican Synthesis (1965), and Handbook of the Ministry (1985).

From Library Journal:

In the field of biblical studies, the past ten years have seen continuing archaeological discoveries, new trends in biblical criticism, and the release of the full corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Thus, it is entirely fitting that a new edition of a standard Bible dictionary appear. The first edition of The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (under the title Harper's Bible Dictionary, LJ 1/96) was well received by scholars, students, and lay readers. This edition has been expanded and revised, with approximately 25 percent of the material either new or updated. The number of contributors has also increased, from 179 to 193. The work has retained the two-column format, with 16 single-column articles interspersed throughout (including "Art in the Biblical Period," "Jesus Christ," and "The Temple"), and it is well illustrated. Many of the longer articles include a brief bibliography (most of which have been updated from the first edition). Though not a flawless work (e.g., the article "Manasseh" treats only the 14th king of Judah but neither the patriarch nor the tribe of Israel that also bear that name), it is outstanding in terms of scholarship and writing. All biblical studies collections should have this new work (balanced by New Bible Dictionary, InterVarsity, 1996. 3d ed., which represents current evangelical scholarship), even if they already own the previous edition. Browning's (New Testament studies, Cuddleson Coll., Oxford) dictionary is different in several ways. It is the work of one person. Few of the articles are more than a page long (though "Jesus" merits two and a half pages). The only illustrations are four two-page black-and-white maps at the end of the volume, and the bibliography is limited to a one-page select list of titles. The tone of the writing is at times casual, and Browning makes rather blunt statements. For instance, he declares the Bible's report of the number of Israelites who left Egypt in the exodus?600,000 men plus women and children, according to the book of Exodus?"unbelievable." Browning is certainly knowledgeable regarding the Bible and biblical studies, and he offers some interesting observations: "Paul's converts were often on the margin of society...and women were attracted by being valued as persons." A good choice for libraries that need to round out a comprehensive collection.?Craig W. Beard, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Birmingham
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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